Bolt-lock for railroad-joints



.(N 6 M0de1.)

W. J. HUTCHINSON & T. A. MITCHELL. BOLT LOOK FOR RAILROAD JOINTS.

No. 423,560. Patented Max:123, 1890.

UNITED *STATESOPATENTF Q F CE- \VTLLIAM J. HUTOHINSON AND THOMAS MITOHFLL, OF \VASHINGTON, DIS- TRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNORS OF TVVO-THIRDS TO JAMES A. REAL- MEAR, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND. v

BOLT-LOCK FOR RAI LROAD-JOINTS.

SPECIFICATION forming art of- Letters Patent No. 423,560,-dated March 18, 1 90. g

' 7 Application filed June 14,1889. Serial No. 314,240. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: insertion; and Fig. 8 is a section of the bolt,

' Be it known that we, WILLIAM J. I-IUTOHIN- showing the slothaving an inclined outer end.

SON and THOMAS A. MITCHELL, citizens of Like letters refer to corresponding parts in 50 the United-States, residing at \Vashington, in each figure of the drawings.

5 the District of Columbia, have invented cer- A represents the ordinary railway-rails, tain new and useful Improvements in Bolthaving their ends abutting, and B the fish Looks for Railway-Joints; and we do hereby plates embedded in the groove on each side declare the following to be a full, clear, and thereof formed by the main tread a and the 55 exact description of the invention, such as flange b of the base of the rail, holding the will enable others skilled in the art to which two .ends in contact. The fish-plates are seit appertains to make and use the same, refercured to the rail by means of two or more ence beinghad to the accompanying drawings, bolts 0 on each side of the joint through the which form part of this specification. vertical center of the rail and the fish-plates, 60

Our invention relates to certain improvewhich extend over the sides of the endsfof the r ments in bolt-locks for railway-joints of that rails. The bolts 0 are provided with longiconstruction in which a series of bolts are tudinal slots 0 near their outer ends. These made to project through the fish-plates, and slots are slightly inclined or wedge-shaped at has for its object to provide a secure and subtheir outer ends, and the sides of the bolt hav- 65 stantial lock for the bolts, that will not be afin g the shortest external slots are turned tofected by thejarring of the rails and constant ward each other after the bolts are passed vibration of the track, which frequently 1o0sthrough the fish-plates. Within the slots 0 ens and releases screw-threaded and many we insert keys D,'which are of malleable or other forms of locks now in use, enabling the other suitable iron, made of a uniform thickbolts to gradually withdraw from the fishness, having their outer edges slightly taper- 2 5 plates and rails and the joints to become dising from one end to the other to form a wedgeconnect-ed, resulting in serious accident by shaped key. The small or inner ends d of throwing the train from the track; and it con-- the keys are beveled to a chisel edge, so that sists in the constructionhereinafter described, when the beveled edges are turned from each 75 and more particularly pointed out in the other and the keys are inserted in the slots of claim. the bolts from opposite directions theends Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a perwill slide one over the other without being ob spective view of two sections of the rail sestructed by coming in contact. cured together in .the ordinary way with fish- Near the small ends of the key D there is 36 plates and bolts with our invention applied a series of openings E through the key that f 5 thereto. Fig. 2 is a cross-section through the are made to register with a like series of holes rail'on the line x m of Fig. 1, showing our im in the key driven in the slot of the bolt from proved keys and locking pin inserted in the the opposite direction. The bolts are ofa keys. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of two of uniform distance apart in the rails and fish 85' the bolts removed from the rail and having plates, and as the wedge-shaped keys are ourimprovedkeysinserted therein andlocked. driven through their slots their inner ends Fig.4 is a side view of the fish-plate with slide one over the other until the limiteddis- .bolts therein, having a slightly-modified form tance through the slots is reached, when the of our key and lock therein. Fig. 5 is a side holes E register in the separate keys. A pin view of the key shown'in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a F, made of single pieces of wire, having a perspective view of our modified form of loop-head f, with two projecting parallel locking-pin shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a plan prongs e, is inserted through the registering view of the locking-pin shown in Fig. 3 before openings of the keys, and the prongs are bent in opposite'directions, thereby securely looking them together as against-:any separation -from1a jarring or vibrating motion of the times broken by bending in releasing and again securing the ends of the keys, the pins What we claim as new, and desire to secure may be made of sheet metal, if desired, with a modified form of opening in the keys, as

shown in Figs. 4-, 5, and 6. the openings E in the keys are made rectangular in form, and the pins F are cut or stamped out of sheet metal or steel, with the headportion wider than the prongs. The blank for the pin is then bent in the center, forming a substantially circular head f, with the prongs 6 extending parallel to each other and side by side until near their-ends, when they are bent outward in opposite directions, then inward to near a meeting-point, The outer bent portions of the prongs of this construction of pin, when inserted in the reg istering rectangular openings in the keys, are crowded together, and afterthey'have passed locking the pin in place and. the keys securely together.

In stamping out or otherwise forming the holes in the rails for the reception of the 1 bolts 6 the holes are made of an elongated i In this instance form to compensate for the variations in metal.

As shown in both forms of our invent-ion,

the wedge-shaped keys through the inclined slots of the bolts are securely locked by the temperature which contraet andex pand the pinsas against all accidental separation and I removal. cured after they have become worn or loosened by rust. As the wire pins F are some- We are aware that it is not new to insert a Wedge-shaped key in the slot of a bolt, and such we do not claim, broadly; but,

Having thus fully described our invention,

by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is-

The combination, with fish-plates and bolts having slots near their ends inclined at the outer edge, of keys having a uniform thick ness and one edge tapering from end to end,

forming a wedge, the inner or narrowest ends having a chisel edge and a series of openings near the ends, the keys inserted through the slots from opposite directions, and the open- In testimony whereof we atfix our signertures in presence of two witnesses through the openings they spring outward,

\Vitnesses';

D. NEALY, O. BALL.

' ings in the keys registering with each other, 1 the keys beingsecured together by a pin L through the openings, having its arms bent in opposite directions against the key, as set forth. 

